No. 11 UCLA Uses Big Fourth Inning to Top No. 2 Northwestern, 6-2
Feb. 24, 2008
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- No. 2 Northwestern took the early lead Sunday against No. 11 UCLA and its All-America ace Anjelica Selden, but the Bruins staged a furious comeback to defeat the Wildcats, 6-2. The loss drops Northwestern to 7-2 on the season, 3-2 at the Palm Springs Classic. UCLA improves to 13-2 with the win and finishes the event with a perfect 5-0 record. Northwestern had come from behind to win its two late-night Saturday games against No. 6 LSU and No. 25 Texas, but a three-peat of the feat proved too tough for the 'Cats on Sunday morning. Northwestern flashed the leather in support of starter Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) right away in the first inning. After an error allowed the leadoff batter to reach first, the next hit a liner right at Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) at second. Pauly snagged the drive and quickly flipped to Jessica Rigas (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) at first to double off the runner. The third batter, Krista Colburn, clubbed a ball deep into the gap in left center, but center fielder Kelly Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) came flying in out of nowhere to make a lunging grab of the ball and end the inning. UCLA loaded the bases with one out without the benefit of a base hit in the bottom of the second. After a leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt and a pair of hit batters, Delaney recorded her first two strikeouts of the game to escape the threat unscathed.
In the third, the Bruins again got a runner to the third base bag, this time following a leadoff bunt single for their first hit of the game, but again Delaney fanned the final two hitters of the inning to keep UCLA off the board.
Northwestern put the game's first runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Junior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) led off with a rocket ground ball that rolled all the way through second base and to the fence in right center, allowing the speedy Williams to get all the way to third. Pauly followed with a high chopping grounder toward second that enabled Williams to sprint home ahead of the throw, which got away from the UCLA catcher to put Pauly on second base with NU ahead, 1-0. A productive grounder to short from freshman Michelle Batts (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) moved Pauly to third, then Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed with her second single of the game through the left side of the infield to plate Pauly and put NU up two, 2-0. UCLA immediately got offensive in the bottom half of the fourth, putting five runs on the board thanks to an RBI double and a pair of two run home runs. The second homer came following an error, making those runs unearned against Delaney's record. UCLA scored again in the bottom of the fifth, turning a leadoff walk, a wild pitch, a single and an error into a 6-2 advantage. Delaney took the loss to fall to 6-2 on the season, allowing six runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Selden improves to 7-1 on the season with the victory. Erin Dyer finished with a pair of base knocks for the 'Cats. Northwestern returns to action at 2 p.m. CT Saturday, March 1, against Kansas at the Coach B Classic in Carbondale, Ill. |
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